


10 hugs & 12 fics

by kaz320



Category: Treasure Planet (2002)
Genre: Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-14
Updated: 2015-09-14
Packaged: 2018-04-20 18:46:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 15
Words: 17,942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4798427
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaz320/pseuds/kaz320
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A series of short fics featuring JimSilver pairing.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. 10 hugs - Theme 1: Code Name

**Author's Note:**

> I originally started the 10 hugs series at fanfiction.net in 2007 and completed it in 2010. Later, I started the 12 fics series there in 2011 but I've left it halfway at the fourth prompt. Recently I finally managed to come up with the fifth fic, but I found AO3 to be much more efficient than ff.net, so I decided to continue this series here.  
> All fics in the 10 hugs series and prompt 1 to 4 in the 12 fics series had been beta-read, but the latest chapter has not. My sincere apologies for errors and mistakes. I'm afraid it might not be in tolerable quality for native English speakers, as it is only my second language. I seriously need a beta reader. If anyone could kindly offer me to beta my TP fics, please let me know.

Out of all the subjects he had taken at the Interstellar Academy, Mechanical Engineering was Jim's most favorite. He had been so eager and diligent that his skill became capable of designing a simple robot on his own, at the end of the first year.

"Morph, can you pass me the solder wick over there?"

The ever-cheerful shape shifter chirped blissfully, and brought his current master the braided metal wire. He was very excited to have Jim around again, though Sarah, B.E.N. and the Dopplers kept him good company. One of the brightest freshmen at the Academy--soon to be a sophomore--was back at the Benbow to spend the summer break there. After helping out Sarah at lunchtime, Jim went back to his summer project, which he had been working on since the first day of his break.

Intrigued by an intricate structure in Jim's dexterous hands, Morph settled himself on Jim's left shoulder to observe his master's craftsmanship.

"Okay…this will do."

Jim smiled contently as he set an IC chip on the motherboard he held. There were several mechanical modules he had finished so far, but what exactly those modules will compose once integrated, was still a mystery to the Benbownians. Jim answered Morph's somewhat questioning chirp with a grin.

"It's a project, Morph--Project Scallywag."

At the mention of a familiar word, Morph mimicked vivaciously.

"Scallywag!"

 

\--

 

Jim couldn't help a little chuckle as he saw two miniature versions of the cyborg pirate sitting on the ledge of the window in his room. After a while of studying two of them, he started tickling the one on the left with his forefinger. Seemingly complex handicraft was soon turned into a giggling puddle of pink blob.

"You like this, Morph?"

Jim retrieved a small remote from his pocket and pushed the red button. With a metallic creak, mini-Silver gradually raised its cyborg arm and clenched its mechanical fist. Morph was delighted and flipped in the air.

The organic side of Mini-Silver's body was made of felt and cotton, while its elaborate cyborg side was the assembly of all high-end electrical parts, fruit of Jim's wisdom and dedication. Its outfits were sewn by Sarah, who couldn't bear to watch Jim keep on pricking his finger with a needle. The coat had a pocket, which he had especially requested. Jim carefully placed what he had clasped in his hand into the little pocket.

"Perfect."

The pocket was just the right size for a doubloon, thanks to Sarah's reliable sewing skill.

"I miss ya, old scallywag."

Jim held his handicraft to his chest, affectionately embracing the manifestation of his infatuation for the cyborg, which seemed to never fade.


	2. 10 hugs - Theme 2: Snow

Feeling his shoulders chilled and shuddering, Jim was dragged out of his state of REM sleep. From the cobalt blue of the sky sparkled with faint shines of smallish stars still lingering around, he could tell it was rather early in the morning, probably an hour or two earlier than the time he was supposed to wake up. Pulling himself tight, Jim got out of his hammock and picked his battered jacket up, which was dumped in the corner of the sleeping quarter. He had been running around doing various chores throughout the day yesterday just as usual, so his body clamored for more sleep by tormenting him with a heavy dullness. He curled up in his hammock and tried to go back to sleep, but it was way too cold to fall asleep even with his thick jacket on. Muttering, he gave up and decided to go to the galley to warm himself at a stove. As he glared at the skylight, he noticed a tiny, but sharp white shine falling onto the deck.

_Damn, don't tell me it's snowing!_

Suddenly he remembered that Amelia mentioned the _Legacy_ passing through the Frigid Zone or something last night at dinner. She kindly gave him a fair warning that Jim's body might be not resilient enough to stay asleep under the cold climate then, since his human skin is neither furred nor callous, unlike all the other crewmembers. When he finally finished washing mountains of dishes after dinner, her words had slipped out of his mind.

Snow always reminded him of the last Christmas before his father left. He was waiting for him to come back, desperately wishing to offer him a piece of Christmas Cake he prepared for him with a bit (or rather, a lot) of Sarah's help. He sat on the stoop watching the pier all day, but his wish wasn't granted. Ever since, he hated all sorts of baked sweets.

However, the sight of the deck covered with a thin veil of virgin snow wasn't too bad. Actually, it looked almost sacred. Although snow-shoveling the rooftop of the Benbow was quite a tedious job, he enjoyed the utter silence and blindingly white view he could overlook from there.

As he trotted over to the galley, trying to leave as few footprints as possible, Jim saw Silver looking up at the sky from the staircase down to the galley. There was a ladle gripped in his mechanical hand, generating white puffs in a chilly air. Grinning in the expectation of his favorite chowder, Jim practically jumped onto the cyborg and enthusiastically wrapped his arms around the bulky belly, using the cold weather as an excuse for the hug. Silver's apron softly smelled of chocolate--probably from the brownie he baked last night for his own morning snack--besides the butter and milk of the chowder. Listening to the steady beating of Silver's heart, Jim found himself not minding the sweet scent anymore, and it was a pleasant change for him.


	3. 10 hugs - Theme 3: Destiny

"30 eggs, 500g of solara seed…"

Jim checked through the things-to-get note Silver gave him, as he walked through the wet market.

"…Kalepsian sugarcanes, of all things. What the heck does he need them for?"

With a little frown on his face, he looked around the very crowded market, and spotted one small stall packed with various fresh fruits.

A few hours ago, the _Legacy_ made a quick stop at this planet for restoring supplies. The voyage had been quite rough recently, and they ran out of supplies faster than Silver had expected. Since the present voyage wasn't as urgent as Captain Amelia's past ones, she was fine with bringing her ship to a brief halt, although she didn't miss making a few sarcastic remarks upon the cook's unreliable forecast and clumsy risk-management.

Jim came up to the stall to look for the sugarcanes. They were there in a corner of the shop, next to a pile of the star-shaped, bright yellow fruit. Jim had never seen such a weird fruit before. They looked like the stars pictured in the read-along books for children.

A cat-like shop assistant flashed a commercial smile as she noticed Jim looking curiously at the peculiar fruit.

"They're Paopu Fruits, mister! Highly reputed for their extra sweetness and exotic aroma. Besides that, what makes them special is the legend! A lot of couples buy Paopu fruit for their special day!!"

Though the shopgirl's fluent salestalk mildly annoyed him, Jim's attention was drawn into the fruit further.

"…Couples?"

The shopgirl's grin grew wider.

"Yes, mister. Paopu Fruit is said to bind together the destinies of any two people who share one. Romantic, isn't it? I'm pretty sure that a fine looking man like you can use it…"

The feline's suggestive tone made him feel a bit awkward. He actually had someone in his mind, but he bet that "someone" is far from her assumption. Jim glanced at the price tag in front of the fruit. The price printed there was ridiculous; he nearly believed that the shopgirl had added an extra digit by mistake. It was almost ten times more expensive than the sugarcanes. For a fruit approximately the same size as a starfish, pricing was completely unreasonable.

Before he could protest against the potential rip-off, the shopgirl started another of her winning salestalks.

"Paopu Fruit is very precious, mister. They only grow in a small island called Destiny Island, on the outskirts of galaxy. Despite the difficulty to import them fresh, we still go through all the troubles to sell them in here, simply because a lot of loving couples need them."

With his arms folded, Jim contemplated the validity of the pricing for a while. In fact, money wasn't really a big deal. He received a monthly wage from the canine financier. There hadn't been many stopovers, so he saved up most of his money. One Paopu Fruit wouldn't hurt, even though it's ridiculously priced.

"Okay, I'll take one. And a bundle of that sugarcanes, please."

The shopgirl beamed triumphantly.

"Thank you very much, mister! I wish you and your precious one well."

Jim paid for the sugarcane with the money he was given by Silver, while he bought the strange star-shaped fruit at his own expense.

 

\--

When he went back to the _Legacy_ , Silver, who had been in charge of getting heavier stuff like flours and chunks of meat, was already back in the galley preparing some vegetables for cooking dinner.

"Ye got all the stuff, Jimbo?"

"Perfectly."

Jim quickly put the Paopu fruit aside on the table behind him, and started stowing the rest of the items into the designated shelves respectively.

"A Paopu Fruit? It wasn't on me list!"

Jim winced as Silver's sharp eye caught the presence of the odd fruit. There was an accusing tone in his voice; obviously he knew how much the fruit cost.

"Oh…well, I got it for myself…paid out of my pocket. The shopgirl said it's nice, and I was, um, sort of hungry, so…"

Jim faltered out, hoping that Silver didn't know about the legend.

"They're highly reputed for their extra sweetness and exotic aroma, according to her. Have you ever tried it before?"

"I'd rather buy 20 purps. That blasted fruit cost daftly!"

The cabin boy was relieved to hear that the destiny of his crush wasn't bound together with anybody yet. He showed an irresistibly sweet smile that had gotten him away with many troubles in the past. (It didn't work for the inorganic robot cops, though.)

"Why don't we share it then? For once, we gotta eat some fruits other than the purps!"

Silver raised his eyebrows skeptically at Jim's somewhat unnatural cheerfulness. The protege cringed a bit and shrugged casually.

"Well, only if you want to. If you don't like it, that's fine--I'm pretty sure it'll be nice, though. The shop people found them worth going through all the troubles to--"

Before he could finish his words, he saw Silver shifting gears in his arm and his intricate mechanical hand was shifted to the practical kitchen knife. The star-shaped fruit was peeled in an instant by the cook's skillful knife, and then neatly cut into half.

"Here, lad."

Jim blinked a few times as Silver offered him his cut, then brightened up at once.

"Thanks! Now, let's try this..."

He took a bite of the fruit while peeked at Silver, who swallowed a mouthful of it. The smallish fruit was soon finished, shared by two of them.

"Well…it wasn't too bad, but I still think yer ripped off, Jimbo."

Licking the juice off of his thumb, Silver said nonchalantly.

A warm fuzziness welled up in Jim's slender body, and he couldn't hold his urge to attack Silver with a big hug.

"It's worth it. Believe me."

The cyborg was taken aback by the boy's suddenly evident affection, but eventually chuckled and patted his shoulder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Paopu Fruit is from the RPG Kingdom Hearts.


	4. 10 hugs - Theme 4: "I Forgot My Pants!"

"What the hell is wrong in here? Yesterday 'twas bloody freezing, and now it's scorching!!"

While groaning, Jim was actually in a full knowledge of the climate in this particular area of the galaxy. Weather here is known to be temperamental and unpredictable due to the atypical dynamics applied to the stellar system. However, his good understanding of Astronomy didn't help Jim in abating the heat in the least. Most of the crewmembers seemed to be holding up okay, save for Onus and a few others whose skins were as sensitive as Jim's. The multi-eyed alien became nothing more than a heap of exhaustion, plastered on the bottom of the crow's nest like a chewing gum.

Jim had already taken all of his clothes off except for his black boxers. Amelia might have frowned at such an undisciplined posture of the cabin boy on her ship, but she had been staying in her stateroom since morning, and seemed like she'd rather stay there for the rest of the day. After all, her species are good at avoiding troubles, not simply confronting them.

"Hot, hot hot hot hothothothothot!!"

Onus' intermittent muttering wasn't exactly pleasing to Jim.

"Thank you VERY much for stating the obvious."

Sweating all over his generously exposed body, he snorted at the alien's indignity. He almost had a heart attack when something very cold touched his bare back, totally out of the blue.

"WHOA!!! WHAT THE…"

As he spun his head around frantically, a happy pink blob giggled mischievously, with an ice cube held in his mouth.

"Morph, you-- Ow!"

Morph harassed Jim again with a literally icy touch on the boy's fit abdomen, and flew away elatedly.

"Hey!! Stop right there, you lil' squidge!"

Jim ran across the deck chasing the shape shifter, and ended up bursting into the galley.

"That's it! Now, it's time for you to--hmph!"

Morph hid himself behind a bulky figure of his master, and naturally Jim bumped into it. He heard a lighthearted chuckle as he lifted his face, hands clutching on the cook's shirt.

"Playin' tag with Morphy, eh? Forget it Jimbo, ye'll never win--"

Silver's words came to halt in halfway, realizing irregularity in his cabin boy's current state. His lithe body almost barenaked, smooth skin accentuated by clear beads of sweat, cheeks lightly blushed, breathless from running. The vulnerable teenager clinging to him was quite undeniably--sensual.

Silver cleared his throat and averted his eyes from what seemed to be an immorally provocative sight.

"Um…what happened to all yer clothes, Jim?"

Suddenly became aware of his nakedness, Jim blushed deeper and let go of Silver's shirt at once.

"I…took them off, 'coz it's…really hot, Y'know. The weather around here is crazy."

Silver raised his eyebrows.

"Ye'll get yer skin all burnt, walkin' around on deck wearin' nothin'!"

Looking down at the cyborg's mechanic foot sulkily, Jim was about to say something. Instead, he let out a short cry and shivered, feeling a half-melt ice cube trailing along his nape.

"MORPH!!"

Before the blob could fly away, Silver speedily captured the gelatinous body in his grasp. He just couldn't afford having any more of his cabin boy running around naked, for the sake of his self-control. Silver gently retracted himself and turned around to reach for the freezer.

"This'll help ye bring down yer heat, lad."

Silver picked an ice cube and offered it to the boy.

Jim looked at it intently for a while, and then took it in his mouth directly from Silver's good fingers. Silver was entirely startled by the hot, wet feeling engulfing the tips of his fingers. The impish adolescent didn't miss licking Silver's index finger playfully before it was hesitantly withdrawn.

"Hmm…tastes like purp. Whatcha cookin'?"

Jim cast an upward glance at Silver's eyes, which failed to disguise his confusion and indubitable desire. Jim displayed his most coquettish smile, and practically purred.

"Don't tell me you're cooking that Bonzabeast stew, 'coz it'll make me feel even hotter…"


	5. 10 hugs - Theme 5: Chocolate

Sitting in the corner of the galley with a mug of hot chocolate grasped in his hands, the cabin boy listened to the adventure tales delivered by his cyborg superior. Although his stance was seemingly nonchalant, he was listening more intently than any other crewmembers surrounding Silver in there. Silver's storytelling on some nights was one of the rare entertainments available for the _Legacy_ crew. His tales themselves were of sufficient excitement, and his delivery of them with exaggerated cybernetic gestures made the whole show remarkably attractive.

As much as Jim enjoyed Silver's stories, he couldn't help feeling a bit of jealousy towards whoever was mentioned in them. Once Silver told a story about him and a young spacer saving the day in a voyage to Kinapis. Jim bitterly thought that if he had been there, he could do much better job than that canine landlubber.

Sometimes Jim wondered if he would ever be mentioned in one of Silver's tales. The thought made him feel a little melancholic, because it implied their parting. He adored Silver to the point of growing jealous of his past comrades. Jim never wanted to be put in Silver's past, end up being a part of his "good old days". He wanted to be in the cook's current life, always having that peculiar cybernetic hum and creak within his reach.

Jim usually left the galley quietly as soon as Silver finished his tale, while the rest of the crew lingered a bit more for chats and drinks. At that particular night, he waited till the last crewmember was chased out of the galley by Silver. Though where he was sitting down was hidden in a shadow of staircase, the boy was pretty sure that the Cyborg eye had detected his presence. In a peaceful silence, Silver lit his pipe and took a puff from it.

"Can't sleep, Jimbo?"

The cabin boy held his breath for a moment as his pet name was called, but tentatively came up to the cook before long.

"Well, I..."

Fidgeting with his mug, Jim looked at everywhere but his favorite cyborg.

"Ye want a refill?"

Silver shifted in his chair, taking another puff.

"Uh, no thanks, I was just..."

After a little hesitation, Jim put his mug on the table and threw his arms around Silver's neck. The cyborg was beyond surprised, but Jim couldn't see his shocked expression.

"Y'know…I can be much more useful than the canine buddy of yours you mentioned in one of your stories. I've got all the solar surfin' moves that'll come in handy for sure, and I'm a quick learner as you already know, so..."

Jim hoped that he made his voice convincing, but it seemed unlikely.

"...after this voyage, when you go off for your next one, can I...can I tag along?"

It almost sounded like a proposal, as sweet as a mugful of hot chocolate. Silver's answer to it was their precious little secret, which Jim cherished dearly.


	6. 10 hugs - Theme 6: Secret

Jim could hardly believe what he had just done. He thwacked Silver with a spatula--No, that was beside the point. The point was, he just dedicated his first kiss to somebody he admired in a way he had never had before in his life. Underneath the heaving chest, his heart was hammering. A mixture of excitement, agitation and bittersweet sense of guilt overwhelmed him so much that he thought he was going to faint. Jim sat down on a corner of the deck, pulling his knees to his chest. He remembered the touch was surprisingly soft?as if it signified the man's gracefulness, which sometimes Jim caught a glimpse of. The midnight blue of the Etherium was somewhat enchanting, and the soft cool wind felt good against his hotly flushed cheeks and ears.

 

\---

 

The Etherium had been rather harsh for the _Legacy_ today. Captain Amelia's relentless orders worked the crew to the bones, and it meant that their usually healthy appetite became almost fierce. At the end of the day, both Silver and Jim were thoroughly exhausted from feeding the starving crew; therefore the cyborg shooed all of them away from the galley after dinner, in order to have some peace and quiet. Jim was the only one who was allowed to stay; he couldn't help feeling thrilled at Silver's partiality toward him.

Sometimes overwork could affect a person in a strange way. The adrenalin generated in a process of handling tons of jobs still remained within Jim's body. Despite his excessive weariness, he didn't feel like sleeping any time soon. While Silver enjoyed his rum at one of the tables there, Jim tidied up the shelves in the galley.

"Y'know, I can whip up something, if you want a bite."

The cabin boy offered casually, wishing his mentor would take up that offer so that he would be able to show some of his cooking skills. Silver's reply came in with a good-natured chuckle.

"What's on yer menu, chef?"

Jim grinned and opened the refrigerator.

"Lemme see…we've got Kerian shrimp, so my suggestion would be Southern Galactic Fried Shrimp. One of my Specials."

Jim winked cheerfully, and put his apron on. He was good at cooking beer snacks and appetizers, rather than the decent meals like what Sarah cooked at the Benbow. The small bar at the common room there seldom had customers, but a few spacers came in every once in a while. They usually came late in the night after Sarah had gone to bed, so it was Jim's job to take care of them. Unlike all the other chores at the inn, Jim found that particular job enjoyable. He got to eavesdrop the conversations between spacers, or if he was lucky, spacers told him their adventure stories.

Within 15 minutes, Kerian shrimps were fried perfect light golden brown. Putting them on Silver's aluminum saucer with a spatula, Jim announced joyfully.

"It's done. Bon Appetit!"

But no answer came. Instead, he heard a little snore.

"…Silver?"

He turned around to see the cyborg dozing off. He was a bit disappointed, but in the next moment a mischievous smile appeared on his face.

Jim went up right next to Silver and studied the sleeping cyborg closely. His face was nothing handsome or beautiful, but to Jim, it was the most charming face in the entire Etherium. Totally kissable.

"…Kissable?"

Unconsciously whispering his thought aloud, he was tempted to get closer to Silver. Though he knew Silver liked him a lot, he assumed that Silver's affection for him was a mere father-son relationship. On the other hand, the young cabin boy's feeling for the cyborg had many more aspects, including the ones concerning desire and intimacy. Jim highly doubted if he would ever get anything more than a wholesome hug from his mentor. Maybe this was the chance for him to get a little bit of what he really wanted.

Jim gradually leaned forward till only an inch or less was left between the cyborg and him. After a while of hesitation, he closed his eyes and ventured to make a physical contact he had been craving for. The tender feel of Silver's lips made the boy shiver in a delightful sensation, while a faint taste of rum made him dizzy. Initially he intended to only brush an instant kiss, but the pleasure he was having from it was so heavenly that he couldn't just let go yet. This could be his only chance ever to get this much from his object of adoration. Why not indulge in it while he could?

Jim felt Silver murmuring something, and broke off the kiss momentary. It was too unclear to figure out, but it sounded like somebody's name. Just before Jim could resume his previous action, there came the murmur again.

" Mmph…Rachel…"

Jim froze at once, feeling the color draining from his face. For a good few seconds he stood there in blank surprise, but soon enough his blood started to tingle in his guts.

"I AIN'T NO RACHEL!!!"

Jim furiously thwacked the half-asleep cyborg on the head with his spatula and stormed out of the galley.

 

\---

 

In fact, he felt pretty bad for thwacking Silver, but in the meantime he was still mad about being mistaken for some God-Knows-Who girl. Defeated and crestfallen, the cabin boy heaved a deep sigh. Now Silver's sexual orientation was proven to be absolutely normal. It meant that Jim had to hide his feelings, the kiss, and the thwacking altogether from the cyborg.

_Great. Just Great._

Biting his lower lip in sullen mood, he reluctantly stood up to his feet and headed to the sleeping quarters. At that time, he wasn't yet to know Silver's secret, regarding his helpless crush on his human protege.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I took "Rachel" from Rachel Walls (1760-1789), who is said to be the first American female pirate :-)


	7. 10 hugs - Theme 7: Crazy

Despite his rebellious attitude, Jim drank much less than people assumed him to do. In fact, he had hardly drunk since he found out that his alcohol capacity is rather limited; therefore, he must suffer from quite a severe hangover. As he woke up at 5:30 as usual, he found himself to be in a condition 10 times worse than his worst hangover ever. With his head all fever-dazed, Jim could only just think of a bottle of antifebrile Silver kept in one of the shelves in the galley.

He got out of his hammock with all his might, and staggered along towards the door. When he reached for the doorknob, which was triplicated in his hazy view, the door abruptly opened and Silver showed up, with his face clearly showing his anger.

"Jimbo, I told ye ye'd better not t' have me wake ye up?"

His expression was soon shifted to concern, as he saw Jim showing a weak smile in relief and collapsed on the spot. Before Jim's knees touches the floor, Silver swiftly extended his cyborg arm and supported the boy's limp body with his mechanical hand under the boy's armpit. Then pressing his good hand to backside of Jim's knee, Silver scooped the slender boy up in a smooth motion.

Metal and grease, high-tar cigar, rum, various spices, purps and salty wind of Etherium--intricate mixture of all those was Silver's musk. Jim's semi-consciousness allowed him only blurry eyesight, but he still could tell it was Silver's sleeping quarters where he was laid down.

In their voyage, Silver wasn't sleeping in the same cabin as his fellow crewmembers. Their feline captain with a noble heart kindly took the cook's half-cybernetic body into consideration, and allocated him a bed instead of hammock. Jim was pretty sure Silver wouldn't have any problems with slumbering in a hammock, though.

Silver's bed was filled with his own peculiar musk, which was overwhelming for the vulnerable cabin boy, who had been desperately trying to hide and repress his crush on the old cyborg. With his reason-emotion balance thoroughly lost under his awful health condition, he couldn't prevent his thought from drifting to the fantasy of him, tightly secured in Silver's tender embrace.

He realized that his despicable thoughts started to take an effect on his generative function. He felt dreadful but there was nothing he could do about it, other than releasing the wicked heat deposited in his lower body. Shutting his eyes in disgust, he reluctantly obeyed his instinct.

 

\---

 

Frowning at the pasty remains on his palm, with his now much clearer head, Jim noted that he was damn lucky that nobody had come to intervene his little "commotion". Quickly wiping the mess off with a scrap of cotton cloth he always kept in his pocket for buffing his solar surfer, Jim was sure he must be insane.

Drowsiness gradually overtook him, and when he barely recognized a cyborg cook coming into the room with something savory, Jim didn't care if he had gone crazy, because he had never been this contented in his life.


	8. 10 hugs - Theme 8: Storm

Jim was pretty sure that Captain Amelia wouldn't be too pleased if she knew about his thoughts, but he always secretly wished for a storm to come. Not a heavy one of course, but one which was small enough for the _Legacy_ to put up with, but big enough to give him an excuse to cling to his favorite cyborg. The last time a storm hit the _Legacy_ was about a couple of weeks ago. Jim started to miss the warm feeling of Silver's massive belly, which he clung his dear life to when a sudden blast almost swiped him off the deck.

He was wiping tables in the galley when the ship was suddenly jolted.

"Wow, what was it?!"

Holding onto the edge of the table, Jim turned around and saw Silver swiftly turning off the gas.

"Must be the Etherium turbulence. Didn't ye hear the Cap'n and Doc's lovely chat on the deck this Mornin'?"

He smirked at the boy's defensiveness.

"Yeah I saw them on the deck flirting with each other while I was swabbing about the place, but I don't have the cybernetic ear to figure out what exactly they were whispering."

Jim rolled his eyes.

"Anyway, is it gonna be a storm, or just turbulence? Do we help out the riggers on the deck like last time?"

He pretended to be annoyed, but his bright eyes betrayed his excitement.

"Nah, they can handle a lil' turbulence like this."

Silver chuckled lightheartedly and stopped peeling a bucketful of potatoes in halfway. The cook took his apron off and came over to one of the cleaned tables.

"Yer done with the tables, Jimbo?"

Jim wiped the last table for one last time before he answered.

"Yeah, I'm finished."

"Good. Come over and sit here. There's nothin' we can do till the turbulence's over."

As Jim came up to the table to join Silver, another jolt hit the ship and made Jim trip.

"Ow!"

He saw the galley's skylight panning in his view, and the next thing he realized was that he was cozily sitting in Silver's lap. Finding the cyborg's bemused expression in proximity, Jim blushed right up to his ears.

"S…Sorry!!! I…I…."

He hurriedly tried to get himself out of there, but the turbulence made sport of him once again.

"Whoa!!"

Another jolt sent him to collide his face with Silver's, and naturally his lips were firmly planted on the cyborg's left cheek. The man's cheek was enticingly soft, but the embarrassment took the better of Jim before he could enjoy the feeling.

"Aaaahh!! I… I'm SORRY!!! I totally, absolutely didn't mean to…"

Panicking almost pitifully, he instantly let go of Silver's shirt he had been clutching and struggled to get out of the older man's lap. Much to his disgrace, he heard Silver's amused chuckle when he finally stood up on his feet in front of the table.

"Why, I didn't know yer in love with me, Jimbo."

Jim thanked stars that he didn't pass out on the spot. He knew Silver was just teasing him, but he couldn't help flushing deeper. Meanwhile, he was somewhat hurt by Silver's carelessness. The cyborg was not at all aware that he actually hit the nail on the head. The cabin boy pouted and turned away from his mentor.

"Yeah, you wish!"

He snapped and headed to the hatchway to the deck, hearing more chuckles from Silver.

When he emerged onto the deck, Etherium was already calm and peaceful. However, his mental state was definitely still in turbulence. It was true that he wished for a storm to come, and he most definitely wanted to touch the cyborg, but touching to that extent was way beyond his imagination. Faltering in bewilderment, Jim went up to the mast and leaned his forehead against the wooden surface of it.

_Yeah, somehow I'm totally in love with you and I don't even know when, how and WHY it happened._

He sighed deeply, and started toward the storeroom where he kept the cleaning equipment.

 

\---

 

It's been a hard day's night for the multi-eyed alien. Onus merrily took a mouthful of the stew, only to spit it out miserably. Naturally enough, he was swatted with a ladle by the angry cook.

"Don't ye dare waste me stew like that, Eyeballs!!"

Onus protested with tears in his numerous eyes, both from the swat and the dreadful taste of the stew.

"But Captain, the stew tastes baaad!!"

"What the…Eww! What in blue blazes is this!?"

Silver scooped the stew from the pot with his index finger, and frowned as he tasted the abnormally saccharine stew.

"You must've mistaken sugar for salt or somethin'!"

Bird Brain Mary squeaked as she tossed her bowl aside with disgust.

"What happened to you, Captain? You seemed to be all dazed this afternoon, after the Etherium turbulence."

Turnbuckle asked him rather flatly. Silver was thrown off balance by the helmsman's words for a split second, but shortly regained his composure and exclaimed in an overbearing manner.

"Now, mark me, the lot of ya! Ye all finish the blasted stew, or ye eat nothin' for the rest of the voyage!"

The horrified groan from the crew was none of his concerns, when he had a certain humanoid boy occupying his mind. His dazedness and perplexity were all to be blamed on his protege, who had been swabbing the deck almost maniacally all this afternoon. The cook heaved a deep sigh, and opened the fridge to see what he could feed the pup later in the night.


	9. 10 hugs - Theme 9: Everywhere

Onus had considerably more eyes than his fellow crewmembers. He could easily see things which others naturally missed. Especially when he was in the crow's nest, nothing escaped his notice. He made an excellent watchman without a doubt.

However, it wasn't like something exciting happened all the time on the _Legacy_. Beside the infinite stretches of Etherium, all he saw there were riggers taking a nap in a corner and the humanoid cabin boy swabbing the deck with occasional mutterings.

Somehow he liked watching the boy. He considered it to be out of sheer boredom; he could hardly stand watching the quiet, uneventful Etherium for an entire day, and his options of entertainment were poorly limited to either some filthy, unpleasant-looking riggers or a youthful humanoid teenager. He thought nobody would blame him for choosing the latter.

From his observation on the boy, he had noticed a few things about him so far. His big bright eyes were one thing. The intriguing color of them reminded Onus of the grayed sky at dawn on his home planet. The boy's somewhat always-neat hair was another thing Onus liked observing. While the boy was swabbing the deck, his long bangs swayed beside his face in a smooth motion. Onus was pretty clueless how humanoid faces were usually evaluated, but the boy's one seemed to be well-proportioned enough to him.

One day, Onus noticed something unusual about the boy. At first, he couldn't really point out what exactly it was. He started to get the picture when his Captain (the real one, not the snobbish feline elite) emerged from the galley.

The boy looked like he was rather annoyed when the cyborg told him something (Onus' hearing was not as good as his eyesight, but he supposed it must be another assignment of chores), but Onus had watched the boy keenly enough to see through his facade. He could tell that Silver's "pup" was actually delighted to see his taskmaster for the first time in 3 hours, wagging his invisible tail with joy. Silver went back to the galley after a while, and then Onus saw something he had never seen in his earlier observation. The boy's eyes vividly reflected his longing and wistfulness for the cyborg.

Onus immediately squatted down in the crow's nest and turned his back to the railing. Clutching his knees, he felt his heart pumping remarkably quicker than usual. He found himself flushing hotly all the way up to his eyelids. He suspected that he was in love with the boy, but pretty soon he calmed down enough to realize that he was thinking complete nonsense.

Since he started his career as a spacer, he had rarely witnessed such an untainted innocence of minors. The cabin boy's look in those dusky blue eyes brought him back the memory of his first love, a girl of his own race with rosy skin. He remembered how fragile her slim figure felt in his arms when he bade farewell to her at the wharf. He blushed all over again, and pulled his hat down deeply.

For the next few days, Onus devoted himself to his duty as a watchman. He carefully watched the Etherium throughout the day, save for the times he had his meals. When he was under the crow's nest, he cast his eyes on everywhere but the boy. However, it had been not too long before he resumed his observation on the boy with a wholly renewed curiosity.


	10. 10 hugs - Theme 10: Goodbye

As Jim watched the cyborg mutineer leave the small hilltop after their parley had been broken off, he realized that a certain part of him desperately wanted to dart at the man's broad back, throw his arms around the barrel of the man's body, forget everything about this situation in jeopardy. At the same time, his rage and disappointment against the betrayer still obsessed him, and those bitter feelings stopped him from running up to Silver right away.

Despite the acute heartbreak caused by Silver's heartlessness, Jim somehow retained a small but tangible faith in him. He recollected several significant moments he had shared with Silver on the _Legacy_. He couldn't be sure if every single bit of those moments had been truthful, but he knew Silver had been sincere and honest to him at least in some degree.

He wondered whether the treasure mattered to Silver more than he himself did to the cyborg. As much as he wanted to find out the answer, he was quite terrified to face the truth. He knew Silver liked him pretty much, but he wasn't sure if he could beat the whole lot of Flint's treasure. Nevertheless, he decided to discover the truth. He had to know how much he meant to Silver, even if he might end up losing his life during the process. He felt a twinge of guilt for the sake of his mother, but he could hardly care anything but his desperate needs and desire for the cyborg.

Every time he wanted something, he always looked away from it and manipulated his real feelings. He simply assumed he would never get what he really wanted. What he dreaded even more was getting it once and then losing it all the same. It would be definitely much nastier than not getting it at all in the first place. Eventually it had become his habit to avoid and stay away from what he desired. Whenever he felt an antipathy towards something, he couldn't really tell whether he truly disliked it, or actually wanted it.

For the first time in a long while, Jim was in pursuit of what he really wanted. It was rare for him to be this sure of his desire. He wanted Silver. When the cyborg was within his reach, he felt secured, safe and protected from any potential harm both physically and mentally. He felt invincible. It was the feeling he had never quite experienced before. He faintly remembered he had felt something similar to this when he was very small, but still, it was nothing compared to the feeling when he was with Silver. He couldn't just let it go.

 

\---

 

He reached out his arm to Silver, only to find out it was impossible to close a few inches left between them. At the cracking centroid of the mechanism, he was about to fall deep into the chasm alongside with the mechanical debris, but he found himself being surprisingly ready for it. He was ready to let Silver sacrifice him for the treasure, if that was what Silver wanted. For a split second before he lost his strength altogether, he curled his lips into the slightest smile. You were everything to me, Silver. If he didn't matter to Silver as much as the damn treasure did, he couldn't find the rest of his life worthwhile.

Just when he expected to meet his fate, a strong organic hand saved him from the fatal fall.

 

\---

 

Jim watched Silver leaving in the _Legacy_ 's longboat for his second time. His first time had been a while ago, before the mutiny broke out. At that time, Jim involuntarily feared that Silver might not come back, albeit that idea was nonsense since they were merely checking up the boat. This time, despite the fact that the situation obviously told him that Silver intended to leave for good, Jim hardly felt fear of being left alone.

Probably it had a lot to do with the presence of the shapeshifter, but it wasn't the only reason for his confidence. Somehow he had the feeling that they would reunite when the time comes. Something assured him of their eventual reunion.

It was something stronger than the sixth sense or intuition. He just knew it.


	11. 12 fics - Theme 01: Ice

The boy was like an ice cream, Silver recalled. While his features were well-formed, his demeanor was rather cold at first. Once he starts melting, his smooth and silky texture spreads all over and his allure is just irresistible.

During their voyage on the _Legacy_ , there were times when the cyborg was assigned a special task by Mr. Arrow, which was to make ice cream for their felinoid captain. As much as she ran a tight ship, she still had a natural liking for confectioneries just like any other ordinal women in general. However, her dignity and self-control as a topflight spacer and the Captain of a prestigious spaceship held her back from asking for something as trivial as an ice cream for her innocent stress reliever. So, her considerate First Mate sometimes arranged it when she seemed to be in need of it.

Morph intently watched the milky mixture inside the bowl held by Silver's good arm, being stirred with his other cybernetic--now turned into a whisk--arm. Right next to the pink blob, the cook's two-month protege was wiping off some water droplets remained on the washed dishes, while taking a glance at Silver every few minutes or so. Silver chuckled lightheartedly, saying,

"Don' worry lad, I'll keep plenty fer ye."

"I didn't mean..."

Jim instantly protested, only to be interrupted by Morph's dissatisfied chirping sound.

"An' fer ye too, Morphy."

Elated, Morph was almost jumping into the creamy liquid as soon as the bowl was put down on the kitchen counter, but prevented by the cabin boy's swift hands. Then he hesitated whether to resume his protest, but thought better of it and casually shelved the last dish he had taken charge of towel drying.

"Which flavor will it be this time?"

Jim asked, leaning his lithe body towards the cyborg's organic side until they made a slight contact. Silver stiffened just a little--which went unnoticed by his pup, fortunately--before he brushed the boy's earlobe with his good thumb in jest.

"Wow, what the…"

Amused by Jim's sudden start, Silver watched his cabin boy recognize the sweet aroma gradually engulfing him.

"…Vanilla?"

The hazy blues of Jim's round eyes tentatively reflected his mentor, and soon tinted with mild irritation.

"Oh great, now I smell like one!"

His attempt to wipe off the vanilla essence applied to the backside of his ear was in vain; actually, rubbing there promoted the diffusion of aroma. Sensing the sweetness, Morph chirped happily and started to suck on the source of the temptation.

" _Ah_ …"

Reflexively, a raw sound of his vulnerability escaped from Jim's perfectly proportioned lips, and at that very moment Mr. Arrow just dropped in at the galley to check on the assignment. The cook could swear he witnessed a slight, a barely noticeable blush appearing on the officer's cheek.


	12. 12 fics - Theme 02: Delusion

It was one of the space straits, secretly known among the seasoned spacers to be haunted with paranormal beings. Silver--now drifting the vast Etherium with a tiny longboat by himself--wasn't that surprised when he recognized a familiar slim figure appearing in front of him. At the rate he was going, Silver knew he would exit the strait in a matter of few hours. The cyborg decided to simply ignore whatever it was, the figure, which precisely resembled his protege back in his previous voyage on the _Legacy_.

For the first hour or so, it just stayed there, standing still in the middle of the boat while Silver sat back and relaxed at the stern. Suddenly, the figure reached toward him to gently stroke his good arm. As Silver expected, the touch felt like a lukewarm wind in the rainy season--quite uncomfortable and somewhat mental-numbing.

The figure looked into Silver's unmatched eyes with its own deep blue crystals. That was only about the part Silver could point out the error. His pup's ones were lighter in their colors, like the sky anticipating a storm to come anytime. Soon enough, he recalled that there were times actually, when the boy's eyes embraced those darker hues…

The ethereal existence leaned in closer and whispered into Silver's good ear before he could exercise caution.

" _Wha_ …"

The spacer hissed at the eerie feeling of humid breeze brushed his sensitive earlobe. The enchanted whisper was barely audible, but still decipherable. Once he registered those words in his slightly dazed head, he frowned. His memory of hearing exactly the same words back in the _Legacy_ was still vivid in his mind--it was only a few weeks ago, after all.

Thanks to the genuine consideration given by the feline Captain, Silver with his half-cybernetic body was allocated a separated cabin with a decent bed. It was one of those nights when his cabin boy sneaked into his sleeping quarters. Because it was too cold to sleep in his own sleeping cabin, Mr. Snuff was throwing his tentacles everywhere in his sleep, some crewmembers started a fight and making a way too much noise…the boy never ran out of his excuses.

Jim always slipped into Silver's bed and snuggled up the bulky body to join his slumber. Half the time, Silver let the lad get away with it just like that, pretending to be deep in his sleep. The other times, the cook half-jokingly inquired of him what happened this time. At that particular night, it was the former. Silver expected his "Lil' pup" to go to sleep as usual, but said pup had the other plan.

"Silver…are you awake?"

The cyborg didn't answer, not because he found it bothersome but he somehow sensed that the boy was actually hoping for no answer to come. After a considerably long pause, he heard Jim taking a deep breath and felt the slender body pressed against his good side, followed by a slight, gentle feeling cast on his cheek. Just as abruptly as the act had been initiated, Jim pulled away at once and turned his back to the cyborg. However, he didn't leave the bed.

Still pretending to be sleeping--but virtually wide-awake, Silver recognized the boy's faint whisper.

_"Silver…I think I…"_

Silver was brought back to the reality with the violent rocking of the longboat. The deep fog veiled the boat was cleared, and he was once again facing the infinite stretch of the grand Etherium. He reflexively turned around, but not a trace remained of the mystical strait.

After being left perplexed for a full minute, all of a sudden he remembered the alleged nature of the strait.

"Te Straight o'… vacillation…"

The place was rumored to reflect the passer's significant moment of vacillation. Silver couldn't decide whether he had scruples for refusing to show the boy his genuine affection at that particular moment, or for secretly admitting the fact that his said affection was, to some extent, tainted with a vicious instinct.


	13. 12 fics - Theme 03: Lust

"Fifteen pieces o' dried Calyan figs,"

"Check."

"Two chunks of salt curin' bonzabeast meat,"

"Check."

"A pack o' Solaris seed f'r Doc's chowder,"

"Ugh, he can survive without extra seasoning, don't you think?"

Jim rolled his eyes with half-marked "things-to-get" list clutched in his hand, while struggling a little bit to follow Silver, who expertly maneuvered through the hustle-and-bustle of a busy spaceport. The cook had two burlap sacks full of supplies hoisted up on either side of his shoulders, but he was walking at ease with firm steps. On the other hand, the cabin boy had already lost count how many times he bumped a passerby's shoulder, even though the only thing he carried was a middle-sized canvas bag containing miscellaneous light-weight purchases.

They were in the downtown area of a spaceport, which was commonly referred to as the "Etherium's Kitchen" by seasoned spacers. Captain Amelia had not exactly been in the best of moods lately due to her stock of favorite tea--a specialty of her homeplanet Mau--running out. Her annoyance had affected the entire _Legacy_ crew in the form of relentless orders to further perfect her already impeccable ship. Luckily for them the ship happened to pass by a planet reputed for its capital, a spaceport, which had every edible item found in the Etherium. Hundreds of shops and restaurants lined the street which went on for dozens and dozens of blocks.

Their two-day shore leave had a lot to do with recommendations by Mr. Arrow and Doppler, the former out of worry for his felinid captain's exhaustion, the latter from his determination to not to miss this place filled with myriad research opportunities. As soon as the _Legacy_ was docked at the port all crewmembers darted out from the ship and headed straight for their various destinations. In Jim's case, he did not have a say in his plan for this precious excursion. The cook caught him by the collar and told him to help with restocking supplies, which included the premium tea.

"Nah, Doc deserves his Top o' th' Mornin' breakfast, Alponian chowder with th' extra Solaris seed. Gotta look f'r th' shop t'at has one,"

The cabin boy's grumbling was nothing but a simple amusement to his half-cyborg mentor. In the midst of an overcrowded shopping street Jim had no idea how Silver managed to scan through a vast stretch of shops and stalls without stopping his walk for a mere second, as if two heavily-loaded bags on his shoulders were non-existent. Born and raised in the less populated former mining town, he was not used to walking through this much of a crowd. Almost failing to keep up with the cyborg's pace he unconsciously reached out and grasped Silver's coat. The older man chuckled at the naive gesture and slowed down his walking pace ever so slightly.

As they made their way through the bustling main street a small stall manned by an elderly canid caught Jim's eye. Various plant seeds were piled up in several mountains there, and one of them was definitely what they were looking for.

"Hey, Sil…"

"Hey sexy, long time no see. How are you doing?"

The cabin boy's calling was abruptly interrupted by a syrupy sweet, flirtatious voice. For a moment Jim was rather perplexed than annoyed, but as soon as he saw two curvy figures clinging to Silver's burly body, his expression darkened with a twinge of unfamiliar emotions that he was unable to identify. On Silver's left was a slender redhead fluttering her long eyelashes, peering at the cyborg's half-amused expression with her half-lidded amber eyes. A slightly younger, coquettish felinid blonde was on his other side, deliberately pressing up her ample bosom to the cook's good arm.

"Mornin' lasses, it's grand ta see ye. Aye, it's been quite a while, t'ough ye two gems haven't changed one bit."

Silver's casual tone was similar to the one he used toward his cabin boy, but Jim did not fail to notice there was something extra underneath. In a way, Silver's voice toward the skimpily-clad hookers sounded a little patronizing. When he spoke with the spaceport floozies in such a tone, which was returned in an outrageously flirtatious manner, it created an atmosphere particularly awkward to Jim. For some reason, he could not help feeling alienated and he absolutely hated it.

"Hey Silver, shouldn't we looking for the seed and Captain's tea?"

Jim pulled at the cook's sleeve without even trying to hide his irritation. Two sets of mascara lashes turned to his direction, recognizing the boy's presence at last. The girls stared at the lean figure behind the robust spacer for what seemed like a full minute, and then suddenly burst into a somewhat deriding laughter.

"Oh, Silver darling, since when you became a _babysitter_?"

Jim's face turned crimson, both from shame and anger. He let go of Silver's coat at once and almost lashed out at them, but the older man restrained the infuriated teen.

"Don't judge a book by its cover, love. The boy here solarsurfs like nobody's business,"

Patting the boy's shoulder with his good hand, Silver flashed a cocky, toothy grin to the still-giggling duo. Despite his irritation at Silver's unfamiliar behavior, Jim felt his heart skip a beat at the rare compliment. Their laughter finished, the blonde sauntered forward and gazed the younger boy with much curiosity.

"Soooo, Silver sweetie, if he is like, a real spacer-man, we don't mind him joining you in our service…"

In contrast to her innocent smile, her words were shamelessly provocative. Jim's already blushing face turned redder if at all possible, but the girls allowed him no mercy. The redhead snatched Jim's chin and fixed her amber gaze directly at the boy's hazy blue, as if to dare something to him. Suddenly Jim remembered all the conversations he had eavesdropped on as he tended to the seasons spacers in the Benbow's late-night bar and how they had given the port other nicknames. The Entertainment Capital of the Etherium, or even worse, the Sin City. While the redhead still captured his chin in her teasing hold, the felinid leaned dangerously close to the boy and whispered into his delicate ear.

"Y'know, our _service_ is, like, totally mind-blowing…"

Before Jim had a chance to react, he was pushed back to the safety of his mentor's back. The pair whined at the sudden loss of their new-found plaything, but soon grinned mischievously and simultaneously pecked either side of Silver's face.

"Please make sure to visit us during your stay here, baby. You know where to find us."

The redhead leisurely trailed her slim fingers on Silver's cheek, and then turned her six-inch stilettos. The blonde followed suit after she winked impishly and blew a kiss to the _Legacy_ crew.

"Well, what was that?"

"Nah, nothin' ye should worry about, Jimbo. Now let's find Doc's favorite seed, shall we?"

Jim threw a skeptical glance at the cook, but there seemed to be no room for discussion or further explanation about what had just happened. For the rest of their procurement pursuit Jim noticed that his mentor avoided meeting his eyes in a subtle, but determined manner.

Silver called it a day as they finally secured the Solaris seed and the Mauan tealeaf. There were a few items yet to be marked on the list, but the cook decided they could wait for tomorrow, their last day in the city. After having dinner at a local diner the two checked into a small inn to reward themselves with a good night sleep on sensible bedding, not wanting to return to the scratchy perpetually-rocking hammock at their ship's sleeping quarters.

The room was sparsely furnished including two plain single beds covered with starched bed sheets. The simple setting reminded Jim of his days back at the Benbow, helping his mother with making beds and busing tables. He wanted to give asking Silver about the girls another shot before he went to sleep, but the clean-looking bed was so enticing that he could not help diving into headfirst, as several miles of walking took a toll on his body.

However, several hours later, the creaking sound of the cyborg's mechanics stirred him from a deep slumber at an ungodly hour. In his sleep-fogged vision, Silver was perching on the edge of the bed and slipped his good foot into his boot.

"Where are you going?"

Jim sat up in bed and asked the older man while rubbing his drowsy eyes. But soon enough he realized how silly the question was. Of course the spacer was heading to reconnect with the blasted spaceport floozies! He felt his face flush and stomach churn in a strange way as his mind was invaded by an image of the cyborg feeling up two curvy figures.

"Ah, sorry lad, I didn't mean t' wake ye. Got me just a li'l business out t'ere. Now ye go back t' sleep, Jimbo."

Silver pronounced Jim's pet name with extra sweetness, but his cabin boy was not the one to be shrugged off so easily. A sudden fit of rage--although he was clueless where it came from--got the better of him and he glared at the cook.

"Oh c'mon, that's not fair! You can't just ditch me here, Silver!"

The room was nearly pitch-black and the only light source available was the luminescent cyborg eye. His expression unreadable in a dim room, a bulky silhouette of Silver slowly stood up. There was a pregnant silence between the two, and just when Jim felt he couldn't stand the awkwardness anymore he saw the intricate mechanical eye blink. The eerie red laser traced the delicate line of the adolescent features.

"Believe me, _Jim_ , ye want me t' do t'is f'r yer sake."

All day Jim had been introduced to too many of his mentor's new sides and at this point he didn't know anymore whether the man in front of him was really the same person he has been working with for the past few months at the _Legacy_. Jim cleared his throat and tried to find his voice. The acute, scarlet radiation was so hypnotizing…

"A fair one like ye doesn't want t' be stuck twenty four-seven wit' an unsatisfied pirate?"

And there he was, the self-proclaimed pirate was pinning the boy to the bed. The furniture squeaked as if to protest to the overload, but the sound did not reach Jim's entranced mind. Anyone else would be scared to death from being in such a helpless state?pinned down by a rugged, semi-mechanical longtime spacer?but it was not the case for the cabin boy. He was in fact mesmerized and absently thought this might be somehow his dream come true. Having the object of his secret admiration all over him felt too good to be real and then he was convinced, albeit reluctantly, he must be still sleeping. He felt a warm, gentle hand cup his face. As he leaned into the comforting touch something cool brushed the tip of his nose and everything went black, but not before he faintly sensed the exotic aroma of the Captain's tea… 

\---

 

"Actini… What?"

"Actinidia polygama,"

Doppler sipped his morning coffee in an elegant fashion, which was actually not so uncharacteristic of him. In front of him was the Alponian chowder Jim prepared by following his mother's recipe, with extra soralis seed, no less. At eight in the morning in his designated cabin the canid financier was more than happy to answer the cabin boy's question, which happened to be concerning one of his strong research areas--pharmaceutical botany.

"It has been used for its medicinal benefits for centuries in Traditional Medicine commonly practiced in the Far East. It serves as a good remedy to fatigue and hypertension, among many others, and it works as an especially effective stress-reliever when it is used to the felinid."

"Oh… well, by any chance, does it have any effects like…anesthesia?"

Clutching the tray he used to bring the astronomer's breakfast from the galley, Jim asked the canid in a suppressed tone, practically rushing out the last word. Doppler brought his index finger to his pointed chin and tilted his head, which he often did when he was thinking.

"Hmm, it depends on the type of Actinidia, but as far as I know the one contained in our Captain's tea is a quite strong kind--although non-toxic, of course. So there might be a possibility of it causing such effect when it is used in an excessive concentration, like in a form of green tea leaf before properly roasted."

Jim remembered that the cook had ordered him to buy them fresh, not the roasted black tea, due to Amelia's particularity about her caffeine fix. So last night had not been one of his wicked dreams, after all. Probably. Hopefully.

"Oh, and also, Jim"

Doppler's cheerful voice awoke the teen from his reverie.

"Actinidia polygama is also known as Silver Vine."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Actinidia polygama (also known as Silver Vine and Cat Powder) is a non-toxic plant in the Actinidiaceae family. It grows in the mountainous areas of Japan and China at elevations between 500-1900 meters. Silver Vine has long been known to elicit euphoric response in cats. It is the most popular cat treat in Asia, particularly in Japan and China. The reaction to Silver Vine is similar to the catnip response, but appears to be more intense.  
> Reference: Actinidia polygama. (2011, July 22). In Wikipedia. Retrieved 04:07, August 19, 2011.


	14. 12 fics - Theme 04: Weapon

Captain of the _RLS Regent_ , Lieutenant Commander James Pleiades Hawkins was on his mission to deliver a certain diplomatic correspondence to the government of Republic of the Lagoon Nebula on behalf of his organization, the Interstellar Naval Aerospace Cadet Corps. His ship was not even halfway through the course to its destination yet, but occasional run-ins with pirates made their stock of ammunition and other supplies already run short. They had progressed a few days in advance of the original schedule, so the young Captain decided to spare a day of excursion for restocking at the nearby planet Xenuse.  
The spaceport was the most densely populated city in the bay area of Xenuse. As the _Regent_ was put to the dock, Jim remembered that the _RLS Legacy_ had docked at the same wharf during his memorable Treasure Planet adventure.

It was true they ran low on the supplies, but in fact the situation was not dire to such an extent they need to call in the nearest port immediately. Even so, he opted to drop by this place specifically due to a certain object he recently came across.

After making his way through the busy main street, he caught a glimpse of dimly-lit red paper lanterns in the corner of his eye. He was heading out to the Far Eastern ethnic enclave located in a secluded part of the harbor city. The district was established centered on a five-story pagoda. A number of stalls surrounding the tower offered various foreign specialties. The air was thick with a peculiar scent?a mixture of oriental spices, incense sticks, medicines and several others the 27-year old spacer could not really point out. Quite a few paper lanterns decorated the winding passages around the area. Their soft glows emphasized the mystical mood about the place.

The shop was at the dead end of a particularly narrow passage. Miscellaneous gadgets of all sizes were piled up nonchalantly in front of the entrance, which almost blocked the sliding door leading to the inside. If he had not known better, most probably he would have missed this isolated spot.

The place had not changed even the slightest since his first time here. He could swear the bamboo low table with the "Sale" tag stuck on its surface had been there nearby the entrance when he accompanied the semi-mechanical scallywag here more than a decade ago.

He grabbed the wooden frame of paper door entrance and slowly slid it to look into the shop. Inside was pretty cluttered, just the way he remembered. Several withy baskets containing a bunch of hand scrolls were here and there, and so were the stacks of bamboo-made crates. He also noticed some intricate musical instruments of the Orient leaning against the wall.

A counter table was in the dark corner of the shop, on the opposite of a wooden cupboard containing numerous vials. Each of them was labeled in the neat Far Eastern character. A small hunchbacked man was perching on a high chair in front of the counter, paging through an old issue of Galactic Geographic magazine. Because of his abundant white beard and almost comically huge bottle-thick glasses, Jim could not really tell what species he was. In fact could only assume the shop owner should be a male because Silver had once referred to him as "he". When Jim stepped inside the traditional Far East architecture the old man peered above his spectacles. The deeply wrinkled eyes stared at the younger man and Jim flinched under the enigmatic gaze.

"Excuse me, _Lao shi_ *. I was wondering if you would help me out with this…"

A little hesitantly, Jim ventured further into the little Far East and came face-to-face with the mysterious man. Indeed, his appearance accentuated by mass of long beard almost touching the floor was identical to the one in the young officer's faraway memory.

Jim produced a medium-sized rectangular box with its width a little wider than his shoulders, wrapped by a lavender-tinted fine textile. He carefully placed it on the slightly dust-covered counter and untied the knot of the cloth. A secretive glint appeared in the smaller man's eyes as a lacquered container decorated with traditional Far Eastern curving appeared.

"My ship had a run-in with pirates a few days ago. We confiscated it from the gang…"

Jim lifted cover of the box in a refined manner, something he had acquired in the sophisticated environment of his academic and professional career. Lying on the burgundy cushioning inside the box was a Far Eastern style sword about 25 inches in length, featuring delicate curvature. It was too long to be considered a dagger but too short to be a long sword. Its sheath and hilt were engraved with an elaborate pattern of cherry blossoms.

"Fine _Kodachi_ , indeed."

The shop owner took the sword and unsheathed it in one liquid motion. The sword, Kodachi as the cryptic man called it, bore a single cutting edge facing down. Its metal ground had a brilliant blade pattern with a white misty formation running parallel to it. The well-honed sword reflected a soft light of a paper lantern as the merchant upheld it, admiring the craftsmanship.

"It is a masterpiece by legendary swordsmith Kunimine of _Bizen_ , a country in an ancient civilization of Far East."

The shopkeeper whispered in a husky voice. Jim cleared his throat and offered hesitantly.

"All right, so it is a real thing… You know, our confiscation from pirates quite often includes one or two items of cultural value, just like this time. However, this sword seemed to be the Far Eastern heritage our people at the Interstellar Navy are not familiar with, and we happened to pass by Xenus so I decided to come here to consult the specialist…"

The up-and-coming naval star fidgeted as he mumbled a lengthy, unsolicited explanation. His voice faded out soon because he knew it was a feeble excuse. Verifying the value of confiscation was never his responsibility. He had to admit today's visit was rather his personal affair than an administrative pursuit. It was for the old time's sake.

After defeating the ruffians in a heated on-deck brawl, he found the Far Eastern artifact on the criminal ship. His once-dissipated longing for his admiration was replenished at once. One of his cherished memories during their _Legacy_ voyage, their excursion in Xenuse's spaceport rushed back to his mind. The Far Eastern enclave, red paper lanterns, the scent of joss sticks and exotic market place?everything flew into his thought so vividly that a shiver ran through his back.

"In fact, the swordsmith Kunimine forged this _Kodachi_ to serve as a catalyst to your weapon _Kunai_ which you acquired here some time ago, young Hawkins."

Jim's eyes grew wide at the mention of his name.

"D-Do you remember me?"

"Of course, I have been expecting you to bring this to me. And do you carry your _Kunai_ knife with you today, young Hawkins?"

"Well, yes…I do, I have mine of the pair…"

He wondered how the other man could expect him as his visit was actually a spontaneous decision. Nevertheless he reached into his inner pocket of the pristine uniform and picked out a metal tool, which resembled something akin to a short knife. It had a leaf-shaped blade and a handle with a ring on the pommel. He put the knife-like object next to the open container on the counter. A flowery pattern curved around the rim of circular pommel glimmered under the ambiguous light from the exotic lanterns.

 

\---

 

While scrubbing pot after pot in the midnight galley, the cabin boy exhaled a dramatic sigh. Silver brought his cyborg hand--which had been turned into the kitchen knife at the moment--to an abrupt halt as he threw a sideway glance to Jim.

"W'at's t'e matter, Jimbo?"

The teen rolled his eyes at the tuber-peeling cook without stopping his cleaning of the greasy kitchen utensils.

"Don't play dumb, Silver. I know you know what's up,"

His brunette bangs swayed in a sleek motion as Jim heaved another sigh and lowered his gaze. The younger man's sulky tone made Silver turn fully with amusement evident in his half-mechanical features.

"Hmm…is t'at so?"

"All I'm left with are Mr. Mop and Mrs. Bucket when even Onus has his own little cutlass? C'mon! How unfair is that!"

The old salt let out a good-natured laugh at his cabin boy's sourness which he found to be quite adorable. Naturally, it only worsened said boy's mood and earned a begrudging glare.

"Silver…"

"Why, Jimbo, I 'eard yer pretty good wit' Mr. Mop."

Earlier in the day, the _Legacy_ encountered a flock of galactic seagulls which for some reason decided to attack the galleon. Some 10 crewmembers who were unfortunate enough to be on the deck at that particular time fought back the vicious animals with full might. In the deck-swabbing cabin boy's case, he swatted them with his cleaning device that was found to make a surprisingly effective bludgeon.  
Onus frantically swung his cutlass at a bird which was tenaciously harassing him for no apparent reason. Sadly, his effort was futile. Jim took pity on the numerous-eyed alien and rescued the poor thing with his makeshift weapon.

What truly unnerved Jim was not the ungrateful watchman who threw a tantrum when he was mortified by the fact that an unarmed, naive cabin boy of all people saved him. The witnesses of the scene annoyed him to no end by making a laughingstock of the unlikely pair. Jim's expression was now further darkened to a near-venom.

"They'll never drop the mop thing until I get a decent weapon!"

"Pay no mind ta t'ose bunch o' twits, my lad. I know yer perfec'ly capable."

A faint blush betrayed the boy's exhilaration despite his frustration. In his desperate effort to cover his embarrassment, Jim passionately scrubbed the wok in his hand which was already polished spotlessly.

"Y-yeah…but still I'd really hate them to make fun of how defenseless I am…"

Something about the word defenseless caught Silver's attention. Jim was oblivious to how the sea dog was suddenly deep in thought, as he was all caught up with his own bashfulness. The boy came to his senses when his taskmaster resumed tuber-peeling with a click of the mechanical hand.

"Planet Xenuse,"

"Huh?"

Jim actually recognized the name as well as location of the planet, from his extensive knowledge in the astronomy he had secretly nurtured over years. Xenuse was supposed to be near from where they were. However, he could not figure out why his shipmate called the planet's name out of blue.

"Our next stop. We'll look fer yer weapon t'ere."

The cabin boy beamed after staring at the cook incredulously for a good full minute. He hardly contained his excitement when he pulled the other man into a bear-hug. A rare bounciness from the usually unconcerned teenager caught the cook off-guard. He might have scraped the boy's narrow waist with his knife-mode gear if he had not been more careful. A half peeled tuber tumbled on the floor when Jim gave a quick peck on the spacer's cheek.

"Thank you Silver, you're the best!"

The space-faring cook only blew through his nose at his protege's enthusiasm. Jim missed a small blush creeping into Silver's blunt features, because the boy marched out of the galley as soon as he released the hold and put down the washing cloth he abused by polishing pots after pots for the past few hours. Silver huffed once again when the lad was nowhere in sight, feeling his face reddened.

In a matter of few days after The Mop Incident, the _Legacy_ docked into a spaceport by the bay on planet Xenuse. The one-legged shellback escorted his cabin boy through the town and eventually arrived at the Far Eastern enclave, which was reputed to be by far the oldest and the largest in the Western galaxies. Jim had visited the Far Eastern town in Crescentia before, but it was nothing compared to the enormous embodiment of the oriental culture absorbing him now. Silver headed straight to the shop in a dark corner at the far end of the district, with the awestruck teen in tow.

The heavy scent of the Far Eastern incense overwhelmed Jim at the moment he set foot in the retail. He took in a 360 degrees view through a sheer mist of strange fragrance and found the place to be crammed with a myriad of foreign-looking merchandises. Next to the impressed teen, the cyborg took off his hat and waved it toward someone in the back?Jim assumed to be the owner of this shop.

"Aye, _Lao shi_. How's yer business runnin'?"

Silver's lighthearted greeting was returned by not so much of a nod from the mass of white beard that barely resembled a small built alien. He perched on a high chair behind the shop counter with his short legs lazily swinging in the air.

"The business is going quite pleasantly, Master John Silver. Sure it has been long since our last meeting. May I ask what brings you here today?"

Judging from the shopkeeper's bizarre appearance, Jim had mentally readied himself for some heavily accented Far Eastern dialect. His expectations proved wrong by the perfect standard language in a fluent tone.

"Me lad 'ere Jim Hawkins needs a weapon ta fig't like a real spacefarin' man. Any suggestions, _Lao shi_?"

Silver gave his cabin boy an encouraging nudge, which made the boy stumble forward to the mysterious creature. Being within a mere few inches from the shopkeeper's bespectacled face, Jim flinched at the feeling as if the unfathomable gaze penetrated his pounding heart. His mentor chuckled at the boy's obvious nervousness.

The shop owner fixed his eyes on Jim's azure ones which occasionally sparkled by catching the lights from crimson lanterns carelessly upheld here and there in the mini-chaos of a shop. The cerulean-eyed boy held his breath without realizing. When he became almost pale from lack of oxygen, the shop master gave him a small nod in a somewhat approving way. The hunchbacked figure hopped down from the chair and retreated to what seemed like a storage room through the back door adorning a jade beads curtain. Jim was left baffled only to hear clattering sounds and occasional thuds from where the shopkeeper was seemingly rummaging through. His impatience was relieved by Silver's casual squeeze on his shoulder with a calloused organic hand.

"Looks like ye passed 'is test, lad."

"Huh? What test?"

The younger _Legacy_ crewmember frowned in confusion and his taskmaster just returned a knowing expression.

"T'at fella wouldn't care ta entertain unless 'e sees somethin' in ya."

Soon thereafter the rummaging noise ceased and the shop owner emerged. The white bearded alien looked even snowier now, due to a whole lot of dust covering his entire body. He hoisted a wooden box ? an accomplishment of his exploration ? up on the counter and beat the dust off his battered Far Eastern outfit. The spacers coughed uncontrollably as they were engulfed In a series of stirred up white puffs..  
Not minding the dust-tormented duo in the slightest, the shop owner opened the box. A bundle of lavender-colored fabric appeared, which surprisingly fine quality was contrasting to the rough exterior. The small alien's hand unwound the bundle and a pair of what looked like in Jim's eyes the Far Eastern-style short knife appeared. The metal tool was more or less 12 inches in size had a leaf-shaped blade and there was a ring on the pommel of its handle.

Jim vaguely remembered he had seen something similar in one of the storybooks he used to enjoy when he was a kid. It was one of the oriental folktales which became famous in the Western galaxies, featuring a covert agent specializing in unorthodox arts of war. Little Jim was amazed by the way they traveled in disguise to other territories to investigate the enemy's situation. His favorite part of the story was when the agent entered enemy castles to set them on fire, arriving in secret.

"This here is your _Kunai_ , young Hawkins. Let it serve as your means of combat."

The shopkeeper produced the dagger-like metal tool to the astonished boy. Kunai, as the oracular Easterner called it, was beautiful. It was so thoroughly sharpened that Jim could see his stunned face reflected on its silky black surface. His hesitant hands received the weapon and he admired its exquisiteness in silent awe.

What he found especially fascinating was the ring-shaped pommel that featured the intricate flowery pattern. Although the curving bore clear resemblance to graceful cherry blossoms, the overall decoration somehow generated an impression rather masculine than feminine.

While he was tenderly trailing the pommel with his fingertips, he suddenly gasped and his face visibly fell. The merchant raised his brow in a questioning manner.

"Is there anything wrong with your weapon, young Hawkins?"

Jim let out a deep sigh with his shoulders sunken, still clutching the _Kunai_ knife protectively to his chest.

"Well, nothing, the knife's really nice but…"

He stammered and heaved a profound sigh out of anxiety. The boy's dismay was infectious to his crewmate as he stood behind the boy with a concerned look on his semi-mechanical face.

"There is no way I can afford something like this."

Even to a Westerner like Jim whose familiarity with the oriental culture was limited, the Kunai knife looked surely expensive. He mentally counted how much money he had in his wallet, which he usually carried in his cargo pants pocket. He cursed himself for wasting not-so-meager amount of cash in his previous shore leave on a certain fruit that was said to bind the destinies of a couple together. Soon enough he realized even if it was not for the rip-off fruit he never had that much of money to start with. However his reluctance was dispelled in a short while.

"Your concern is unnecessary, young Hawkins. I do not intend to impose a monetary charge on you for what truthfully belongs to you."

The proprietor's word simultaneously exhilarated and perplexed the cabin boy. He looked back and forth from the shopkeeper to his mentor in bewilderment, which was the gesture returned by Silver's warm smile.

"Wow, that's…that's so generous of you but I can't possibly accept this for free! A beautiful piece like this must cost a fortune actually, and I'd really hate not to pay a _doubloon_ …"

Jim shook his head restlessly in a mixture of excitement and confusion, but the proprietor calmed down the disconcerted one with a simple shush.

"That being said, young Hawkins, I do intend to award you this heritage item on one condition."

The next moment, the shopkeeper walked over to the hulking frame of the seadog while holding the remaining piece of Kunai from the paired treasure. When the Easterner handed it out to the longtime spacer he did not so much as cast a glance at it upon receiving. Something told Jim Silver already knew what his end of the bargain would be. Blowing a huff through a thick wall of his beard, the Easterner looked up at the cyborg's poker face. Jim decided it was just his imagination that he saw the slightest hint of anguish in Silver's good eye.

"Although I see a rightful owner of _Kunai_ in young Hawkins, I do notice he is yet to demonstrate his true worth. Until the time comes, Master John Silver, you are not to tell him the real nature of his possession. That, and to keep the counterpart of young Hawkins' weapon, together consist the end of the bargain I would impose upon you."

Jim had never before heard of a trade as strange as this one. He turned to his crewmate just in time to see him agree to the deal with a casual shrug. The realization of his newfound armament swelled the cabin boy's heart with pride…

 

\---

 

"Does Master John Silver carry the counterpart of your _Kunai_ today, young Hawkins?"

The question puzzled the young Captain. He had no idea about the cyborg's whereabouts let alone his retaining of said artifact.

A memory of the one-year leave he had taken prior to his graduation from the Etherium's top school came back to his mind. Over the course of his academy days he made more than several attempts to search for his friend by making use of opportunities such as seasonal long-term breaks. The year-long vacation was his last effort to reunite with his secret crush, but to no avail as he came back defeated and empty-handed.

After his graduation with flying colors he climbed the ladder of power in the prestigious organization at an unprecedented speed. People said his indistinguishable enthusiasm for astronomy based his successful career pursuit, but the former cabin boy knew it was not the case. It was his desperate attempt to get over his first--and the last, so far--true love that turned him into a workaholic. While at the same time, he could not deny he had a hidden agenda to accidentally run into a space-faring cyborg on his missions as so-called "the galaxy police". However his chances on ceasing his simmering passion or having a run-in with the one-legged pirate seemed rather dim.

It had been long since his nostalgic longing for the _Legacy_ voyage became his second nature. It was almost comedic that he still could not get over the mere few-month journey after so many rounds of four seasons had passed.

"I'm sorry _Lao shi_ , I don't know if he still has it. I've not seen him more than a decade now…"

Somehow the shopkeeper gave the 27-year-old an approving nod.

"Very well then, I see Master John Silver kept up his end of the bargain."

Not only his baffling words but also his intense gaze took Jim aback. He recalled that he had been under the same eyes in his last visit here. The ageless merchant eventually heaved a small sigh in what Jim perceived as a subtly admiring tone. As if on a cue, the shopkeeper turned back his attention to the oriental artifacts.

"The time has come to bring to light a true nature of the _Kunai_. Master Hawkins, if you please."

The snowy-bearded Easterner wielded the Kodachi sword and solemnly swung the blade down to within several inches of the _Kunai_ knife. Before Jim could object to the potential harm on his long-cherished possession, _Kunai_ emanated a flash so bright that he could not keep his eyes open. He tentatively reintroduced his cerulean orbs to the world as the blinding light evanesced in the backside of his eyelids. To his relief, he found his Kunai had no blemish and was in the same well-kept condition as when he placed it on the counter minutes ago. Everything about his dagger-like weapon remained the same, saving for one change.

There was a ray of light emitting from the tip of _Kunai_ 's leaf-shaped blade.

Just like how the sphere map of Treasure Planet functioned, his weapon beamed an emerald-tinted fluorescent laser which led to the shop's front gate. The navy youth was left speechless and started to feel butterflies in his stomach.

_Is this--no, this can't be…_

"The true value of this _Kunai_ here demonstrates friendship, Master Hawkins. And the _Kodachi_ serves as a catalyst to bring out Kunai's potential."

The shopkeeper started in his unique enigmatic tone, but Jim barely paid attention to him as his eyes were firmly fixed on the luminescent tool. Unaffected from the young Captain's distracted state, he sheathed the _Kodachi_ sword with a click and proceeded with his speech.

"The Far East civilization once formed an alliance with the Western galactic empire during the swordsmith Kunimine's active time. Friendship is a single soul dwelling in two bodies, said an ancient Western philosopher. The philosophy enlightened the Far Eastern society though the cultural exchange, and hence the pair of Kunai knives based on Kunimine's inspiration."

The butterflies in Jim's stomach turned into a full-out flip in his diaphragm. Barely containing his inner turbulence, Jim moistened his lips nervously and opened his mouth to ask the other man a question. His words came out in a little shaky voice.

"So it means this green laser leads to the counterpart of my _Kunai_ knife?"

"Yes indeed, Master Hawkins. The ray of light shows its way to reunite with its friend, its counterpart of a single soul."

The former _Legacy_ cabin boy felt his face flush out of overwhelming joy, happiness and excitement. He felt his grin reaching ear-to-ear, so he was quite surprised when droplets of hot, wet tears trickled down his burning cheeks. The mysterious Easterner kept going matter-of-factly.

"This happens only when two people who shares a genuine friendship possesses each one of the paired _Kunai_. So, naturally I presume Master John Silver must be still carrying it today."

Jim wondered if Silver really knew this when the two visited here many years ago. Although the answer was quite obvious to him now, he was determined to hear it directly from his counterpart of a single soul. Maybe that ridiculously expensive fruit paid off, after all. He gazed at the sharp pointed beautiful _Kunai_ in his blurry vision, which was indicating the course Jim was about to chart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (*) Lao Shi is a Chinese honorific which originally means teacher. The usage to address someone a teacher has evolved to a polite reference to an educated person rather than an indication of the person actually being a teacher. (Reference: Chinese honorifics. (2011, July 4). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 07:53, August 24, 2011)
> 
> Other references:  
> 1) Short sword signed Kunimune. In e-Museum, National Treasures & Important Cultural Propeties of National Museums, Japan. Retrieved 22:30, August 24, 2011.  
> 2) Kunai. (2011, August 7). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 22:30, August 24, 2011.  
> 3) Kodachi. (2011, May 29). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 22:30, August 24, 2011.  
> 4) Ninja. (2011, July 15). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 22:30, August 24, 2011.  
> 5) Aristotle [384?322 BCE]. (2005, October 21). In Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, A Peer-Reviewed Academic Resource. Retrieved 10:40, August 25, 2011.  
> 6) Anglo-Japanese Alliance. (2011, July 17). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 10:47, August 25, 2011


	15. 12 fics - Theme 05: Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, last chapter was what I originally posted to ff.net four years ago. I came up with this chapter a couple of months ago and it hasn't been beta-read. My sincere apologies for errors and mistakes. English is my second language, so I'm afraid this chapter might include quite a number of unnatural dialogues, weird choice of words and many flaws my English skills were too poor to detect.  
> If anyone could kindly offer me to beta my TP fics in the future, please let me know. I'm quite desperate and I'll be infinitely grateful.

Ever since he was appointed the captain of the _RLS Regent_ , he made it to point he checks on a night watch at least once every night to ensure his ship’s safety. It was past midnight when he emerged from the captain’s quarters to follow his routine. The ship was just passing through the temperate climate zone. Jim enjoyed the feeling of a light breeze on his cheeks. He was alone on the deck, saving for a watchman in crow’s nest.

The _Regent_ was on the return journey from the Planet Mau. Jim’s latest mission was to escort Minister of Foreign Affairs of Mau to her home. She was among the VIPs invited to a recent political gathering in Crescentia. The Interstellar Naval Aerospace Cadet Corps, an organization Jim had been working for almost five years, assigned its finest members to each of the summit VIPs to ensure safety of their travelling back home.

The selection of these escorts was carefully done by INACC’s top executives. Lieutenant Commander James Pleiades Hawkins was among their candidates, but some of the conservative officers opposed to assign this highly political mission to a 25-year old, who made it to the Lieutenant Commander at the youngest age ever in the INACC’s several hundred-year history.

What ended their series of arguments was a letter from the Maunan Foreign Affairs Minister. By her request for appointing Jim her escort, not only the INACC officials, but also Jim himself was rather baffled. While en route to Mau, Jim learned that the Minister was an old friend of Captain Amelia’s.

“She speaks very highly of you, Captain Hawkins.”

Minister said between sips of premium Maunan tea. Jim tried to keep his professional demeanor, but a faint blush betrayed his surprise and delight at an unexpected compliment. Minister smiled gracefully and continued, “And I’m glad I followed her advice to appoint you my escort.” Jim’s blush deepened and he barely managed to mumble, “Th-Thank you, Ma’am.”

Minister had many things in common with the feline Captain, such as her refined manners, sophistication, intelligence and occasional sarcasm. When the _Regent_ entered Mau’s main port, Jim had a hard time holding back his laughter at the sight of her canine husband waving to her at the wharf. No wonder Captain Amelia found a bosom friend in her.

 

\---

 

At the rate they were going, the _Regent_ was likely to arrive at Crescentia in a matter of few days. So far, it had been a pleasant round-trip, without any major run-ins with delinquents. Jim leaned against the railing and closed his eyes. On a calm and peaceful night like this, there was only one person in his mind. He indulged in a reminiscence of the firm embrace he received from his half-cyborg mentor in the night of Mr. Arrow’s tragic demise, but he was soon brought back to reality by the watchman’s sudden shriek.

“Captaaain! A sssuspiciouss vessssel, ssseven o’clock!”

The multi-eyed watchman--the same race as the _Legacy_ crewmember Onus--hissed in a rushed tone. Jim took out a telescope from his coat’s pocket and looked into the direction the watchman pointed to.

From some ten miles away from the _Regent_ , there hovered a small vessel, which was flying the intergalactic maritime signal flags N and C. Jim instantly recognized the distress signal. In any other time, he would have come to rescue the survivors right away, but the vessel’s rather strange appearance made him alert and hesitant.

In fact, the vehicle was more like an old-fashioned spacecraft than a space ship. He remembered seeing something like this on a history book he had studied in the Interstellar Academy. The ongoing trend of the spacecrafts design, imitation of the appearance of ancient wooden marine vessels, started a few centuries ago. Before that, the mainstream design of the spacecrafts was metallic and round-shaped.

“Ready the cannon and approach the vessel.”

Jim gave commands to his watermen and snipers through the speaking tube. As the _Regent_ neared to the mysterious vehicle, Jim noticed two kids frantically waving the flags. The tiny vehicle barely contained the kids, so there weren’t likely to be anybody else lying in ambush. Nevertheless, Jim didn’t let his guard down. He brought the _Regent_ to a halt when they had the vessel within a distance approachable by long boat.

“Shall I scout ahead, Captain?”

By then, more than a few crewmembers had emerged from the sleeping quarters. Jim thanked the first mate who volunteered, but he insisted that he will take a lead.

“It looks like the kids are alone there. I will go talk to them myself, but just in case, I need a backup. Follow me.”

“Yes, Captain.”

Despite Jim’s young age, the _Regent_ crewmembers all respected Captain Hawkins. A longboat was readied for him without delay.

The kid’s desperate faces turned into bright, big smiles when Jim stopped the longboat beside their vessel.

“Oh thank you, thank you so much for coming to save us, sir! We thought we were done for!”

The kid with the N flag exclaimed. His black hair was neatly swept back. The other kid with the C flag had a unique, spiky blond hair and wore bottle-thick glasses. He looked a bit intimidated. Jim noted that neither of them seemed to be in need for an immediate medical attention.

Although the kids didn’t appear to be capable of any harm, Jim remained cautious and so did his first mate. Suddenly, the kids shrieked and held their hands up in surrender.

“Please don’t shoot us!”

Jim glanced at the first mate, who was pointing his gun to them. Jim sensed nothing but a genuine fright in the kid’s cry, so he let out a small sigh and told his subordinate to put the gun down.

“Where are your parents?” was the first question Jim asked the strange duo.

“Eh… In the past, I suppose?”

The black-haired boy shrugged. Jim’s first thought was that they are orphans, but as he took in more and more details of their vessel, he came to a certain realization.

“You are from the _past_.”

It wasn’t a question, but an affirmation. The first mate gasped in horror.

Jim recalled a history lecture he had taken at the Academy, which mentioned the time machine controversy several centuries ago.

The first time machine was invented in an obscure, tiny planet situated in the outskirts of Etherium, by the planet’s greatest inventor of the time. He came up with a total of three working time machines in his lifetime. They were supposed to be disposed in his will when he passed away, but one of them was secretly preserved and ended up in an evil’s hand. The abused time machine caused time paradox and triggered a series of epic disasters. The interstellar government finally stepped in, just in time to prevent the conflicts escalating to an intergalactic jeopardy. Since then, development of time machines or any relevant technological pursuits had been strictly banned by the interstellar law.

According to the interstellar regulation, in case a space ship comes across time travelers, the captain of the ship must report to the interstellar government’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security immediately and remain at the spot where the travelers were found until the BDS’ retrieval team arrives to pick them up.

It was also stated that the travelers must be isolated from the ship’s crew, in order to keep the contact minimal and avoid any unnecessary time paradox risks. Monitoring the time travelers was the captain’s sole responsibility.

The tense silence was broken with a small noise of the spiky-haired kid’s stomach growling. The kid flushed and mumbled, “Sorry.”

“How long have you guys been stranded out here?”

The taller kid shrugged and answered, “Dunno. Can be a couple of hours?” The blond kid chimed in, “Just when we entered this time zone by accident, we bumped into this huge flying whale thing and almost got swallowed! We ran for life and finally got away from the monster, but our machine ran out of energy…” His narrow shoulders sank as his words trailed off. Jim pitied the boy and almost reached his hand to pat his shoulder, but the first mate caught his attention first, whispering, “May I report to the BDS now?”

“Yes, please. Don’t tell the crew these kids are time travelers, in order to avoid any unnecessary troubles. I will keep them in my quarters until the BDS retrieval team arrives.”

“Yes, Sir.”

Jim took the boys with him back to the _Regent_ , the time machine in tow. The crewmembers curiously looked at the mysterious kids, but their captain dismissed them, saying that the kids were merely testing out the space ship prototype they assembled as an extracurricular activity of their school.

Once they were safe in the captain’s quarters, Jim fed them supper and explained about the interstellar government’s regulations regarding time travelers.

“So, after the BDS guys come and pick us up, what will happen next?” asked the black-haired kid, whose name was Wilbur. Lewis, the spiky-haired one, trembled with fear. “They won’t put us into jail, will they?”

Jim chuckled and shook his head. “No, they won’t. They will just send you back to your time and erase all traces you’ve left in this time zone. I can guarantee that absolutely no harm will be done to you, since any change in your physical or mental conditions may potentially cause time paradox.”

The kids didn’t look convinced. Jim sighed and continued, “We have already arranged your pick-up first thing tomorrow. Now, get some shut-eye.”

Lewis nodded meekly and went to bed Jim offered. Wilbur narrowed his eyes and looked at Jim critically, but followed Lewis nevertheless and tucked himself into the unoccupied side of the king-sized bed.

After making sure the kids fell asleep, Jim exited the room quietly. He decided to keep night watch until the BDS retrieval team arrives. He was certain he locked the door of the captain’s quarters from outside, so he was shocked when he found the kids at the ship’s hangar bay a few hours later. They were working on the time machine docked beside the long boat.

“What are you doing?”

Jim’s stern voice echoed sharply in the dimly lit hangar bay. The kids cringed and peered over to Jim from the machine’s small cockpit.

“Uh…well, trying to escape? Because we’d rather not take chances when some inter-galactic time police guys may come and get rid of us?” Wilbur answered sheepishly, but Jim could see a glint of strong determination in his onyx eyes. A little annoyed and frustrated, Jim ran a hand through his bangs and rolled his eyes.

“Like I said, such a thing will never happen. To cause even a minor damage to time travelers, let alone purge them, is out of question. There had been enough lessons we learned from. Believe me, time paradox is something we’d like to avoid at all cost. Leave the matter in the hands of professionals. All the mess you’ve caused will be cleaned up and you’ll be back at home safely, in a matter of few hours.”

Jim reiterated, but the kids seemed still nervous. Just when Jim leaned forward to the machine to fetch the kids, the _Regent_ suddenly jolted and sent him tripping into the machine’s cockpit. The kids yelped as three of them got tangled in the small cockpit.

“Ugh, what…”

Jim groaned and tried to get out, but before he could do so another jolt rocked the vehicle violently and its glass rooftop slammed shut.

“What’s happening!?” Wilbur cried out in Jim’s ear, while Lewis was trying to wiggle out from underneath Wilbur’s butt. His hand accidentally hit the control panel, and everything turned bright, blinding white.

 

\---

 

Jim came to his senses as he was thrown out on a solid ground with a large thump. Before he could get up, Wilbur popped up in the air above him and landed right on his stomach. Jim yelped painfully and the kid shrieked in horror.

“Oops! Sorry!” As soon as Wilbur recognized it was Jim he landed onto, he sprang to his feet and looked at Jim apologetically. Jim mumbled “It’s alright” and looked around to find the other boy. To his relief, Lewis was working on the time machine landed a few meters away from him. His hands were typing away at the control panel’s keyboard.

“Captain Hawkins, it seems like the time machine accidentally scanned your memory and got you to a particular timeline, where your memory is the strongest,” Lewis told Jim without looking up from the control panel. “When you came down to the hangar bay, we had just shifted the machine’s power system from the default photovoltaic mode to the hydrogen-fuelled mode. Now it’s turned back to the default, so I need to fix it again.”

Lewis’ words sounded confident and professional. Jim took the surrounding view in full and realized that he was on a planet that had exploded more than a decade ago. The humid air and peculiar smell of the jungle awoke his memory of the _Legacy_ voyage. He was in the Treasure Planet.

It was pitch black saving for a weak light coming out of the time machine’s electric devices. Jim remembered that first time he came here he thought the strange trees and eerie vines were creepy. Now, they made him feel nostalgic.

His heart started pounding faster when he noticed a faint light leaking from the small gaps between the trees and vines. It must be the bonfire made by Silver and his gang.

“How long will it take to reboot the machine, Lewis?” Jim asked the kid, who was now making a concerted effort with Wilbur to work on the machine.

“An hour at most,” replied Lewis, added, “You can take a look around if you like. This place must be important to you.” The boy smiled to Jim, in spite of the situation. “Just make sure you will come back here in an hour, okay?”

“Alright. It won’t take that long, though. I’ll be back soon.”

Jim answered casually, trying his best to hide his excitement. He started to the direction where the light was coming from. After walking for about five minutes, he spotted the bonfire.

The pirates were surrounding the fire, all of them fallen into a deep slumber. However, their leader was missing. Jim carefully searched around the area and found the half-cyborg leaning against a tree, ten or fifteen meters away from his minions. It was probably to shut out the chorus of horrible snores. Silver seemed to be sleeping peacefully.

Listening to Silver’s light snore reminded him of the times when he sneaked into the cook’s sleeping quarters. He couldn’t help approaching to the sleeping cyborg, looking into his face closely. He was overwhelmed with all sorts of emotions and couldn’t help reaching his trembling hand out to touch Silver’s stubble. In the next instance, Jim was pinned to the ground by the hulking cyborg.

“Who are you?”

Silver’s low growl sounded cruel and heartless, which was the tone never directed to Jim. He felt Silver’s cyborg eye scanning his body head to toe with a piercing red light. He watched Silver’s expression changing from cold to baffled. His mechanical eye clicked and whirred, giving away his confusion.

“…Jimbo?”

The simple sound of his pet name made Jim shiver in sensation. He realized anew how much he missed his dear old cyborg. He threw his arms around Silver’s stout neck and hugged the bewildered man tightly.

“Silver, Silver… Silver!”

Jim repeated the name as if it was the only word he knew. He was well aware that this contact was perilous as it may potentially result in a serious time paradox, but he couldn’t pry his fingers away from the pirate. He buried his head against Silver’s burly chest and basked in warmth he had been craving for, ever since they bid farewell at the _Legacy_ ’s hangar bay. Taking a deep breath, Jim indulged in a familiar scent of the older man, a perfect fusion of spices, metal gears and intoxicating musk.

Silver had remained speechless for a while, but finally he came to his senses and pushed Jim away, albeit a little hesitantly.

“You… You are… No, you can’t be Jim Hawkins. Who are you, and where in blue blazes did you come from?”

Silver’s hands clutched Jim’s shoulders and kept him on the ground again. Looking up at the pirate dreamingly, Jim raised right hand and gently stroked the organic side of Silver’s face.

“I’ve missed you ever since we parted. I’ve been looking for you all these years…”

Jim’s thumb reached the older man’s lower lip and caressed the dry, slightly chapped skin.

“I promise I’ll never give up until I find you.”

With a soft whisper, Jim raised his head and replaced his thumb with his lips, pressing a slight, chaste kiss. The contact lasted only for a moment before Jim withdrew, but it was enough to leave the older man frozen.

Jim gazed into Silver’s odd eyes, one organic and the other cybernetic. He realizing anew he can never get tired of admiring the two unmatched orbs, the organic one reflecting subtle, deep emotions and the mechanical one featuring cutting-edge technologies.

He remembered that during the _Legacy_ voyage, there were times when he daydreamed about Silver’s story of becoming a half-cyborg. It made him unreasonably jealous over whoever installed all the mechanical devices to substitute for the missing side of Silver’s body. Now looking his own face reflected on the surface of Silver’s eyes, he came to realize that he hadn’t gotten over with the silly jealousy. His helpless crush on the cyborg didn’t show any sign of fading, even after so many years. On the contrary, it was growing ever so stronger.

There was a small thump from the woods behind them. As soon as Jim thought he heard the faint sound, Silver’s organic hand grasped his wrist and pulled him up. Silver put Jim behind his back, obviously a posture to guard the younger man from the potential threat. The cyborg switched his mechanical hand to the gun mode and aimed at the source of the sound.

“Eeek! Please don’t shoot me!”

It was Wilbur emerged from the woods, his hands held up in surrender.

“Wilbur!”

“Captain, the machine’s ready! Gotta go now!”

The pirate stared at the black-haired boy and then peered at Jim over his good shoulder, casting a questioning look. Jim looked at him apologetically and gave him a final, tight hug, before he passed by the bewildered man. Jim started following the kid, only after looking back at the old cyborg for one last time.

“Silver… You’re the best thing ever happened to me. Please don’t give up on me until I find you.”

He whispered quickly and ran after Wilbur, looking back longingly for several times. Silver was left frozen for more than a full minute. Then he finally let out a deep sigh, scratched his head with his organic hand and went back to his snoring minions.

 

\---

 

After bidding rather dreadful farewell to Scroop, the 15-year old Jim Hawkins peered down from the _Legacy_ ’s deck to check on the pirates to see if it’s safe to descend from the floating ship. Through his telescope, he could see bunch of obnoxious pirates huddling around a bonfire, except for their leader. He scanned around the area and located the cyborg leaning against a nearby tree, fallen into a deep slumber.

He gasped in surprise when a tall man wearing a sleek coat suddenly appeared from the woods and approached Silver. He caught himself hissing “Silver!” when the mysterious man’s hand almost touched the cyborg’s face, but the man was pinned to ground in the next breath by the surprisingly agile pirate.

As Jim watched them with breathless interest, the man caught Silver in a fervent embrace. Jim was shocked beyond words, but the blaring alarm brought him out of his trance. It must be the stupid robot, again.

By the time he turned down the alarm, the man was nowhere in sight and Silver was reunited with his minions. Jim tsked in irritation and held his telescope down. At the sight of Silver with the man--probably someone special to the cyborg, Jim felt an undeniable jealousy, fury and reluctance all at once.

From where Jim was watching the two of them, he couldn’t see the man’s face clearly, but he looked handsome enough with his pristine coat and glossy hair. His brunette bangs were in almost exactly the same shade as Jim’s. _So, it must have been him in Silver’s mind, when he touched me--_ the realization stung Jim like a cold metal.

During the few months voyage, Jim had developed a helpless crush on the cyborg. At first, he was content with a few kisses he had stolen from Silver when the cook was sleeping, but it wasn’t long before his frustration escalated. In the night of Mr. Arrow’s tragic demise, Jim’s devastation was translated into the needs, wants for a loving touch from his mentor. When he sneaked into Silver’s sleeping quarters, he was consoled with the blessed warmth. It was a memory he cherished even after the mutiny, but now it just felt hollow and ridiculous.

Jim pursed his lips tightly to stop it from trembling. Fighting back the mutinous tears, he started to descend from the _Legacy_ with the map clutched in his hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry, I forgot to mention this chapter is Meet The Robinsons crossover.


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